The Best of Friends
by becca85
Summary: Don Flack and Danny Messer go to a basketball game.


**A/N: My first (and LAST) attempt at writing a story revolving around sports. This was much harder then I first anticipated it being. NEVER AGAIN! Anyways, this was written for a fanfiction contest. The object was to write about a friendship between characters from a television show and to include the word "flowers."**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Anthony Zuiker, Carol Mendelsohn and Ann Donahue. I borrowed them for the entertainment and amusement of my audience.**

**SUMMARY: Don Flack and Danny Messer go to a basketball game.**

**GENRE: Sports Comedy**

**RATING: PG**

**DATE: July 19, 2009**

**::~*~::**

There was a pounding knock on the door of Danny Messer's apartment. It echoed throughout the empty rooms and finally broke through the noise created by the running water in the bathroom. Danny was just getting out of the shower. As he was toweling off, he yelled to the visitor at the door, "I'm coming!"

Tying the towel around his waist, he hurried into the entryway and opened the door to admit Don Flack. Don jokingly looked him up and down and said, "Sorry dude, you're not my type." Danny made a motion to slam the door in his face, but Don easily sidestepped him and entered the apartment. "Come on, we're gonna be late. The game is going to be half over by the time we leave this apartment."

Danny glared at him and then went into his bedroom to change into some jeans and a t-shirt. He finished getting ready and then walked out into the living room where Don was reclined on the couch flipping through a magazine. Grabbing his jacket off of the back of a chair, he cleared his throat to get Don's attention. "Are we going? You know, I don't have all day–" Danny jumped out of the way as Don launched himself off the couch and tried to slap Danny upside the head. Laughing, they both filed out of the apartment and onto the landing, where Danny locked the door and they headed down the stairs.

Entering the small entryway at the front of the building, Don went outside to hail a cab while Danny quickly put some outgoing mail into the appropriate spot and went out to the curb where Don had finally got a cab.

Climbing in, they spent the next twenty minutes chatting about everything from Danny's relationship with Lindsay to Don's recently taken up work-out routine as they headed towards the Hudson Sports Arena. Looking at his watch as they pulled up in front of the entrance, Danny noticed it was fifteen minutes until the _tip off_ of the game. As they entered the building, Don went off to get them some refreshments while Danny located their seats.

Ten minutes later, both men were comfortably settled in their seats and amiably chatting about the upcoming game which was a highly anticipated one for the New York fans.

"This better be a phenomenal game. You remember what happened last time we attempted a basketball game, right?" Danny said.

"No way can our luck be that bad. If anyone drops dead at this game, I am feigning ignorance of my law enforcement job and getting out while I still can."

Danny busted out laughing at that. He remembered the last time they had come to an Empires game. After scoring a one million dollar shot, an Empire fan had dropped dead on the court at halftime. That had, by far, been the most interesting game they had ever attended. It even topped the time when Henley had shot from ¾ of the way across the court and made the winning shot, back in 2005.

As Danny was about ready to make a response to that, the announcer came over the loudspeaker and that signaled the start of the game. Both team's players took up their positions on the court and the ball was tossed up starting the game.

It was a rousing first half and it had stayed a close game for the duration. The New York Empires were two points down, but as it was only halftime, they still had a chance to come out on top. Even though the score was so close, the first half of the game was mediocre in play and entertainment value. Danny and Don sat back in their seats and proceeded to watch the halftime show which consisted of a dance off between the rival cheerleading squads. As about 70% of the fans were male in gender, the ladies of the squads were fulfilling their duties extremely well.

"Mmmm-mmmm, look at that little blonde bombshell down there. She is one _fine_ looking woman." Don commented, without taking his eyes off of the show on the court.

Danny poked him in the shoulder. "Aren't you in a relationship with Jessica right now? Do you think she would approve of such open displays of admiration towards the fairer sex?" Danny had said all of this with a slightly mocking tone of voice that brought a chuckle from Don.

"What Jess doesn't know, won't hurt her. Besides, she is all the woman I can handle. But, if you want to openly admire any of the specimens down yonder, I won't say a word to Lindsay…"

"You know, I think I will stick with Lindsay. After almost losing her after the accident, my life during that period was very dark and almost unbearable. Since we have begun heading back to where we used to be, I thank God everyday that He saw fit to give me a second chance with her. I'm not going to screw that up again.

"Speaking of Lindsay, what's she up to tonight?"

"She's got the late shift tonight. I think she wanted to work late anyways. She feels she is so close to cracking the case."

"And, what…you didn't offer to stay and help her?"

"If you're insinuating that I am not a gentleman, let me set you straight…I did offer. Lindsay, on the other hand, was quite the lady. She knows that we hardly ever have any male-bonding time, what with you and your NYPD work and me and my CSI work. Our schedules seemed to be completely opposite for months there."

"Well, in that case, with all of this basketball fever here, I feel inclined to shoot some hoops. You want to join me at the gym after the game?" Don asked.

"As tempting as that sounds, I was planning on surprising Lindsay with a late dinner. Knowing her, if she is as close to solving this case as she says, she'll probably forsake food; she'll be so focused on what she's working on. Maybe a trip to the vending machine, but that's a big 'maybe.'"

Further conversation was halted as the second half of the game began. Less then a minute into the third quarter, the Empires scored a three-pointer, allowing them to take the lead. That lead was short lived as the opposing team gained a foul shot followed quickly by their own three-pointer.

Play for the remaining third quarter and the majority of the fourth quarter was intense with no additional points scored on either side. With only eighty seconds left on the clock and the ball presently in possession of the Empires, the players fought valiantly back and forth across the court. Then it happened…

A new, relatively unknown, player named Jackson, who had thus far played only adequately, found himself between the half court line and three-pointer line, and, shockingly (probably most shocking to him), the ball was in his hands. Too stunned for a split second, he quickly regained his wits and threw the ball in the direction of the basket.

For those brief seconds while the ball found the hands of Jackson and then he threw it towards the basket, absolute silence reigned. You could have heard a pin drop in the arena.

There was no sound of the ball rebounding off of the backboard. There was no sound of the ball rolling around the rim of the basket. There was only a "whooshing" sound…like the sound of a basketball hitting nothing but net as it falls thru a basket. This simple, solitary noise was quickly followed by the sound of the buzzer announcing the end.

The noise was deafening compared to the silence that had been so prevalent only seconds before. Don and Danny joined the thousands of fans who had leapt to their feet cheering and applauding the spectacular final play that had led to victory. Down on the floor, the rest of the team had hoisted Jackson onto their shoulders and were parading him around the court.

Danny collapsed back into his seat, all of the masculine "hugs" combined with backslapping over with for the moment. There was something about winning a sports game that made two complete strangers sitting next to each other become best friends for only seconds after victory was achieved. Danny didn't know the gentlemen on his left, but when the Empires won the game, they participated in a brief slap on the back and a handshake between them. Don sat back down next to Danny and they reveled in the glory of the game as they waited for the arena to empty a bit.

"Wow! What a game!" Don exclaimed.

"Yeah, who would have thought that Jackson had it in him?"

For the next twenty minutes, they sat talking about the details of the game going from the mediocre first half all the way to the surprising final seconds.

Glancing at his watch, Danny noted the time as nearing 10:30PM. Getting up, the two men started up the steps to the exit. As they left the arena, instead of trying to hail a cab, Danny veered to the right and started up the street.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Don called after him, hurrying to catch up.

"There's a grocery store up here that had a pretty decent floral section. I was thinking flowers and dinner for Lindsay. Flowers and my excellent company should cheer her up as she has been getting frustrated with this case, regardless of how close she feels she is in solving it."

"Well," Don grinned, "you seem to have a rather high opinion of yourself."

"Oh, please!" Danny retorted. "Do you want to come and help me pick something out?"

"Sure. And though I will be deprived of your 'excellent' company," Don responded, putting special emphasis on the word _excellent_, "I think I may still go shoot some hoops at the gym before going home."

So saying, they entered the grocery store and made their way over to the floral section. Don was amazed. This _was_ a very decent looking floral section. He almost wondered what it was doing in the middle of a grocery store. Even this late at night, there seemed to be a wide selection in the various displays.

After searching for a short while, Danny decided on a simple, yet elegant, display that featured a variety of flowers in a pleasant arrangement. Don agreed that it was a nice selection. Having made his purchase, Danny followed Don out of the store and onto the street.

"Well, I better get up to the lab. There's a nice Hispanic restaurant that Lindsay likes that is about a block away from the lab," Danny said.

"Alright, man. I guess I will catch you later, as I am heading in the opposite direction."

"Sure, and we will definitely have to plan to get together for a game of one-on-one sometime. Call me and we'll work out the details."

With that, they both hailed cabs and headed off in opposite directions; Danny towards the CSI lab and his sweetheart; Don towards the twenty-four hour gym near his apartment.


End file.
